Principles  of  outline  formation 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


The  Principles  of 
Outline  Formation. 


BY 
JEROME  B.  HOWARD. 


CINCINNATI: 

THE  PHONOGRAPHIC  INSTITUTE  Co. 


The  Principles  of 
Outline  Formation. 


BY 

JEROME  B.  HOWARD. 


CINCINNATI: 

THE  PHONOGRAPHIC  INSTITUTE  Co. 
1919. 


COPYRIGHT,  1918, 
THE  PHONOGRAPHIC  INSTITUTE  COMPANY. 


THE    PRINCIPLES    OF    OUTLINE 
FORMATION. 

The    necessity    for    considering    this 
subject  at  all  grows  chiefly  out  of  the 
fact  that  in  Phonography  consonants 
£2    have   a  double   representation.     They 
5j£    are  primarily  represented  by  means  of 
alphabetic  strokes,  each  consonant  of 
fZ    the  language  having  its  separate  and 
•    distinct  character.    In  addition  to  this 
I    primary  representation  consonants  have 
Z3    a  secondary  representation  which  is  ef- 
fected (a)  by  means  of  circles,  hooks, 
loops,   and   ticks   that   are   attacht   as 
5?     appendages  to  the  primary  strokes,  or 
£j      (b)  by  means  of  the  modification  of  the 
^      primary  strokes  thru  halving  or  dou- 
s£     bling    their   lengths.      This    secondary 
representation  is  not  coextensive  with 
the    primary    representation,    but    is 
w     limited  to  the  more  frequently  recur- 
ring consonants  of  the  language. 


Hence  it  may  happen  that  while  in 
writing  the  outline  of  a  word  one  or 
more  consonants  will  be  exprest  by 
means  of  primary  alphabetic  strokes, 
other  consonants  in  the  same  word  may 
be  written  by  means  of  appendages  or 
by  means  of  the  halving  or  doubling 
modification  of  a  stroke.  In  order  to 
determine  the  choice  of  the  manner  in 
which  to  write  any  particular  conso- 
nant in  any  particular  word,  reference 
is  had  to  certain  definite  principles  of 
outline-formation.  , 

The  very  spirit  and  genius  of  Pitman 
Phonograph}' — the  thing  that  more 
than  any  other  distinguishes  it  from, 
and  makes  it  superior  to.  other  systems 
of  stenographic  writing — lies  in  the 
fact  of  its  supplying  secondary  methods 
of  consonantal  representation.  For  in 
the  application  of  these  various  methods 
lies  the  secret  both  of  its  speed  and  of 
its  legibility.  By  the  combination  of 
alphabetic  stroke,  appendage,  and 
stroke-modification  are  secured  not 
only  outlines  of  marvelous  consonantal 


expressiveness  within  brief  compass — 
outlines  susceptible  of  wonderfully 
facile  execution  in  the  act  of  writing — 
but  outlines  which,  tho  composed 
solely  of  consonants,  tell  us  so  much 
about  the  vowels  required  to  complete 
the  words  that  it  is  in  most  cases  en- 
tirely unnecessary  we  should  go  farther 
and  actually  write  the  separate  and 
distinct  signs  that  the  system  provides 
for  the  representation  of  the  vowels. 
So  much  of  the  vowel  nature  of  most 
words  is  revealed  by  the  consonant  out- 
line itself,  that  in  a  very  true  sense  (tho 
in  a  sense  very  different  from  that  in 
which  the  term  is  frequently  employed) 
Pitman  Phonography  may  be  called  a 
joined-wwel  system  of  shorthand.  It  is 
impossible  to  write  consonant  outlines 
for  words  in  accordance  with  the  prin- 
ciples of  the  system  without  at  the 
same  time  writing  into  such  outlines,  as 
part  and  parcel  of  them,  a  very  large 
and  practically-sufficing  amount  of  in- 
formation concerning  the  vowels. 
The  important  distinction  between 


the  primary  and  the  secondary  method 
of  representing  the  consonants  lies  in 
this — that  the  primary  or  stroke  con- 
sonant signs  are  susceptible  of  vocaliza- 
tion, whereas  the  secondary  signs  are 
not  susceptible  of  vocalization.  Vowels 
can  be  written  only  to  strokes,  which 
have  a  beginning,  middle,  and  end, 
offering  a  first,  second,  and  third  place 
for  the  insertion  of  dot  and  dash  vowel- 
signs.  The  strokes  may,  therefore,  be 
spoken  of  as  "vowel-bearing"  consonant 
signs,  and  each  stroke  is  normally  capa- 
ble of  bearing  two  vowels,  one  preced- 
ing and  the  other  following  it.  On  the 
other  hand  the  secondary  consonant 
signs,  which  offer  no  such  vowel  places, 
may  be  called  the  "non- vowel-bearing" 
signs — signs  that  can  be  used  only  in  a 
case  that  does  not  require  that  a 
vowel-sign  shall  be  placed  in  juxtapo- 
sition with  the  consonant  sign. 

This  is  a  case  that  frequently  occurs; 
for  it  is  obvious  that  if  there  be  only 
one  vowel  in  a  word  its  sign  can  be 
placed  to  but  one  consonant  stroke  in 

6 


the  outline,  and  if  there  remain  one  or 
two  or  three  other  consonant  strokes  in 
the  outline  each  must  be,  so  far  as  its 
vowel-bearing  function  is  concerned,  an 
idle  stroke.  This  will  perhaps  be  best 
understood  thru  the  aid  of  illustration. 
Let  us  suppose  the  word  substance  to 
be  written  simply  with  stroke  conso- 
nants ...)  x...  Here  are  six  consonants 
and  /S  only  two  vowels.  Each  of 
these  [  two  vowels  requires  a 
stroke  ^*)  for  its  placement,  and  at 
most  two  strokes  out  of  the  six  can  be 
employed  to  bear  these  two  vowels.  We 
thus  have  in  this  outline  at  least  four 
idle  strokes.  Now  in  the  construction  of 
outlines  it  is  the  special  function  of  the 
secondary  consonant  signs — the  circles, 
hooks,  loops,  ticks,  halvings,  doublings — 
to  take  out  of  the  outline  these  idle 
strokes  by  replacing  them,  to  as  great 
an  extent  as  may  be,  with  briefer  signs 
attacht  to  the  strokes  that  actually  do 
bear  the  vowels. 

To  carry  the  illustration  farther:  In 
our  word  substance  the  last  stroke  obvi- 


ously  cannot  bear  a  vowel  since  no 
vowel  either  precedes  or  follows  the 
consonant  exprest  by  it.  This  stroke 
may,  therefore,  be  replaced  by  the 
circle  form  of  5  and  our  outline  becomes 
<;— -x~  An  inspection  of  the  outline  shows 
^  a  like  condition  with  respect  to 
[_e  the  5  in  the  middle  of  the  outline. 
It  is  neither  preceded  nor  followed  by  a 
vowel,  and  is,  therefore,  an  idle  stroke 
and  may  be  written  with  the  circle 
)  _x.  When  a  vowel  comes  between 
'S3  two  consonants  it  is  possible  to 
-°  write  its  sign  either  after  the  first 
or  before  the  second  stroke.  If  in  any 
particular  case,  one  of  the  two  conso- 
nants is  susceptible  of  secondary  repre- 
sentation while  the  other  is  not,  the 
vowel  may  be  placed  to  the  stroke  that 
is  incapable  of  secondary  representation, 
and  the  other  consonant,  not  being 
required  to  bear  a  vowel,  may  have  its 
secondary  representation.  Thus,  plac- 
ing the  first  vowel  in  this  word  to  the 
stroke  b  we  leave  the  stroke  s  idle  and 
so  it  may  be  written  with  the  circle  and 


the  outline   becomes  \«          Finally. 
.....  -™*" 


by  transferring  the  second  vowel  of  the 
word  to  the  stroke  /,  the  stroke  n  be- 
comes idle  and  may  be  reduced  to  the 
hook  form,  which,  combined  with  the  cir- 

cle, gives  us  the  ultimate  outline  JNp  .....  ,x. 

It  may  be  set  down  at  this  point  as 
the  most  far-reaching  principle  of  out- 
line-formation that  every  normal  phono- 
graphic outline,  while  it  may  not  in 
fact  be  vocalized,  must  always  be 
vocalizable  —  that  is,  it  must  be  sus- 
ceptible oj  complete  vocalization  —  it  must 
afford  a  place  for  the  insertion  of  each 
and  every  vowel  of  the  word.  Thus, 
altho  the  outline  ,.?x...  contains  all  the 
consonants  of  the  word  asperity,  and 
all  of  them  in  their  proper  order  of 
succession,  the  outline  is,  nevertheless, 
wholly  unsuitable  and  improper  for  the 
expression  of  the  word.  The  reason,  of 
course,  lies  in  the  fact  that  the  outline 
does  not  afford  strokes  for  the  place- 
ment of  the  four  vowels  that  are  a  part 
9 


of  the  word.  That  the  four  vowels 
may  be  properly  placed  it  is  necessary 
that  the  circle-s,  the  r-hook,  and  the 
halving  principle  be  disused  and  that 
each  of  the  four  consonants  of  the  word 
be  written  with  its  primary  stroke 
form:  .) 


The  first  principle  of  outline-forma- 
tion, therefore,  determines  the  provision 
of  a  sufficiency  of  strokes  in  the  normal 
outline  for  the  placement  of  all  the 
vowels  of  the  word.  The  second  prin- 
ciple of  outline-formation  relates  to  the 
idle  strokes  and  determines  that  the  out- 
line shall  contain  the  fewest  practicable 
number  of  these — that  when  a  stroke 
is  not  needed  for  the  placement  of  some 
vowel,  the  consonant  shall,  in  general, 
receive  a  secondary  representation  and 
be  written  with  a  circle,  a  hook,  a  loop, 
a  tick,  a  halving,  or  a  doubling.  Under 
the  operation  of  this  second  principle, 
the  outline  ...L  ..,,  which,  as  we  have 

seen,   is  the  normal  form  for  writing 
10 


the  word  asperity,  is  unsuitable  and 
improper  for  writing  such  a  word  as 
sprite  or  sprat — words  that  contain 
precisely  the  same  consonants  as 
asperity,  and  in  precisely  the  same 
order  of  succession.  Since  in  the  word 
sprat  we  have  but  one  vowel,  one  con- 
sonant stroke  is  sufficient  to  bear  that 
vowel,  and  the  other  three  consonants 
may,  if  possible,  receive  a  secondary 
representation  by  attachment  to  or 
modification  of  this  same  consonant 
stroke  that  bears  the  vowel.  It  is,  in 
fact,  possible  to  give  all  the  consonants 
but  one,  of  this  word  sprat  a  secondary 
representation.  Thus  ....L becomes 

X      thru  the  suppression  of  the  idle 

stroke  ray,  which  is  replaced  by  the 
r-hook.  Thru  the  suppression  of  the 
idle  stroke  s,  which  is  replaced  by  the 

small  circle-.?  the  outline  becomes.!\..x.. 

Finally,   thru  the  transference   of  the 

vowel  to  the  stroke  p,  rendering  t  an 

II 


idle  stroke,  which  is  then  supprest  and 
replaced  by  the  halving  principle,  we 
get  the  ultimate  form 

••"O\:"'  •*•  ~ 

The  idle  stroke,  it  will  be  seen,  is 
supprest  not  merely  because  it  is  a 
longer  and  less  convenient  character 
for  the  hand  to  form  in  writing  the 
outline  than  is,  in  most  cases,  the 
secondary  character,  but  also  because, 
in  reading,  an  idle  stroke  is  a  mislead- 
ing stroke.  Its  vowel-bearing  capacity 
inclines  us  to  impute  a  vowel  to  it 
whether  the  vowel  exists  in  fact  or  not. 
Thus  to  write  the  word  sack  with  the 
outline  __v__  is  to  mislead  the  reader. 

Since  the  stroke-.?  is  capable  of  carrying 
an  initial  vowel  we  are  naturally  led  to 
expect  that  in  the  fully-written  word 
it  actually  exercises  such  a  power,  and 
that  the  word  begins  with  a  vowel. 
We  would,  therefore,  fail  to  read  the 
word  as  sack,  but  would  seek  to  read  it 
as  ask. 

Out  of  these  two  principles  of  outline- 
formation  grow  all  the  rules  in  our  text- 
12 


books,  governing  the  use  of  the  ap- 
pendages, and  the  halving  and  doubling 
principles.  We  say,  "When  a  word 
begins  with  a  vowel  followed  by  s  use 
the  stroke."  -\  ..  \  ^ x-  This  is 

•  '  3  -J-~ < 

obviously  that  a  stroke  may  be  af- 
forded for  the  placement  of  the  initial 
vowel.  The  outline  must  be  wcalizable. 
It  would  be  impossible  to  write  an 
initial  vowel  if  the  outline  began  with 
a  circle  as  we  should  have  no  place  in 
which  to  put  it.  We  say,  again, 
"When  a  word  begins  with  s  use  the 
circle."  If  there  is  no  vowel  between 
the  initial  5  and  the  following  conso- 

\v         p          0_ 

nant,  as  in  the  words  — J" — (,'. — , 

the  stroke-.?,  if  used,  must  obviously 
be  an  idle  stroke,  and  therefore  it  is 
replaced  by  the  circle.  If  a  vowel  im- 
mediately follows  the  s,  its  sign  may  be 
written  to  the  stroke  that  represents 
the  next  consonant,  and  again  the 
s,  not  being  required  to  carry  the 
vowel,  is  an  idle  stroke  and  should  be 
13 


written  with  the  circle  and  not  with  the 

•<      p    f  o_ 
stroke.    ..    :....:.  I.  ...X_.  ...........  _,..x..  If,  however, 

"the  word  begins  with  5,  followed  by 
two  consecutive  vowels,  one  of  which  is 
accented"  (that  is  to  say,  by  two 
vowels  each  of  which  is  separate  and 
distinct,  having  no  tendency  toward  be- 
coming diphthongal)  "the  stroke  5 
must  be  used,"  in  order  that  we  may 
have  a  consonant  stroke  for  each  vowel 


These  same  principles  determine  the 
rules  for  the  use  of  the  stroke  and  circle 
forms  of  s  and  z,  when  5  and  z  are  the 
final  consonants  in  outlines;  and  of  the 
stroke  and  hook  forms  of  n,  /,  and  v, 
when  these  consonants  are  the  last  in 
the  outline.  They  also  determine  the 
rules  for  the  use  of  the  halving  prin- 
ciple. A  stroke  may  be  halved  to  rep- 
resent the  addition  of  /  or  d  whenever 
it  is  not  necessary  that  t  or  d  bear  the 
vowel.  If  the  halved  stroke  can  carry 
the  vowel  it  is  superfluous  and  it  would 

14 


be  misleading  to  write  t  or  d  with  a 
stroke.  In  words  like  .  ...... -/...v..-/-  I  or  d 

should  be  exprest  by  halving,  because  if 
these  consonants  were  exprest  by  strokes 
they  would  be  idle  strokes,  there  being 
no  need  of  them  for  the  placement  of 
vowels.  In  the  same  way  x '.. X...A 

may  be  written  with  halved  strokes, 
because  in  such  cases  the  halved  stroke 
is  capable  of  carrying  the  vowel. 
This  is  also  true  of  such  words  as 

./..._x _;   for   as   a  vowel  precedes 

and  follows  the  halved  stroke  there 
is  still  a  place  for  each  one  on  each  side 
of  the  stroke.  But  in  the  words 

-=-i-  \                *">    •. 
I >... . /_ ~|._  it  is  necessary  to 

write  the  strokes  I  and  d  in  order  to  fur- 
nish placement  for  the  final  vowel,  and  a 
similar  necessity  exists  in  such  words  as 

\ i..._,  in  order  that  place 


may  be  found  for  each  of  the  two  con- 
current vowels. 

"  It  will  be  perceived  that  the  typical 
consonantal  outline  in  Pitman  Phonog- 
raphy may  be  likened  to  a  little  house, 
and  the  vowels  to  the  dwellers  therein. 
In  unvocalized  Phonography  (report- 
ing style)  these  indwellers  may  be  said 
to  be  away  from  home,  but  their  empty 
chambers  are  always  there,  each  ready 
for  its  occupant  whenever  his  presence 
at  home  may  require  it,  and  from  the 
location  and  number  of  these  chambers 
we  may  receive  a  great  deal  of  informa- 
tion concerning  the  absent  tenants. 
We  know  in  just  what  part  of  the 
house  most  of  them  would  live  if  they 
were  all  at  home. 

The  importance  of  the  foregoing 
rules  of  outline-formation  is,  therefore, 
twofold.  By  the  suppression  of  idle 
strokes  we  not  only  obtain  outlines  that 
are  briefer  and  more  facile  for  the  hand 
to  execute  than  would  be  the  case  if 
they  were  made  up  wholly  of  stroke 
consonants,  but  outlines  that  are  highly 
16 


legible,  even  tho  unaccompanied  by  the 
vowels.  In  the  case  of  many  thousands 
of  words  we  are  told  by  an  instant 
glance  at  the  mere  consonant  outline 
whether  the  word  begins  with  a  vowel 
or  with  a  consonant,  and  whether  it 
ends  with  a  vowel  or  with  a  consonant. 
And  this  is  precisely  the  amount  and 
kind  of  vowel-information  that  (short 
of  a  complete  knowledge  of  the  entire 
vowel-nature  of  the  word)  goes  farthest 
to  make  outlines  legible. 

So  important  is  it,  indeed,  to  the 
ready  legibility  of  outlines  that  we 
should  know  at  a  glance  whether  or 
not  a  word  begins  with  a  vowel,  that 
it  is  advisable  for  young  phonographers 
to  form  from  the  start  a  habit  that  the 
experience  of  most  old  reporters  brings 
them  to  at  last — the  habit,  namely,  of 
actually  writing  the  initial  vowel-sign 
in  the  case  of  that  group  of  words  that 
must  be  written  with  outlines  inca- 
pable of  indicating  the  presence  of  an 
initial  vowel  by  the  manner  of  writing 
the  first  consonant. 

17 


Of  far  less  importance  to  legibility  is 
it  that  the  presence  of  a  vowel  in  the 
middle  of  a  word  shall  be  indicated  by 
the  manner  of  writing  the  adjacent  con- 
sonants. At  this  portion  of  the  outline, 
vowel-indication  makes  indeed  such 
slight  contribution  to  legibility  that 
the  suppression  of  an  idle  stroke  in  the 
middle  of  an  outline,  and  the  substitu- 
tion therefor  of  a  circle,  hook,  loop, 
halving,  or  doubling,  is  never  prac- 
tically necessary  or  advisable  unless 
the  outline  is  thereby  rendered  more 
convenient  and  facile  to  the  writer. 
JX,...  would  be  practically  as  legible 
\  for  substance  as  __.So_,  and  if  the 

effect  of  the  retention  of  the  medial 
stroke-*  were  to  render  it  more  con- 
venient to  the  writer  (which  is  in  this  in- 
stance decidedly  not  the  case)  there  could 
be  no  objection  to  its  being  retained. 

It  will  appear  from  what  has  pre- 
ceded  that   the   determination   of   the 
manner  of   writing   the  medial  conso- 
nants in  an  outline  is  dependent  upon 
18 


a  third  principle  of  outline-formation, 
that  of  facility,  or  manual  convenience. 
The  application  of  this  principle  rests 
upon  a  recognition  of  certain  impedi- 
ments to  graphic  speed  and  fluency, 
and  in  its  practical  working-out  it  con- 
sists in  the  choice  of  those  modes  of 
outline-formation  that  shall  either  re- 
move or,  at  least,  minimize  these  im- 
pediments. We  may  make  a  classifi- 
cation of  these  impediments,  as  things 
to  be  avoided,  as  follows: 

(a).  Unbalanced  motion.  In  rapid 
writing  there  is  always  a  tendency  on 
the  part  of  a  straight  stroke  that  is 
written  tangent  to  a  curve  to  partake 
of  the  curvature  of  the  curved  stroke. 
In  such  a  case  an  impediment  to  speed 
exists.  The  use  of  a  hook  will  fre- 
quently avoid  this  tendency.  Thus 
..\,...  is  to  be  preferred  to  ..^x™..-  for 


pansy,  \..  to  ^S^™-  for  banish,  ...\.  to 
N^-  for  punish,  and  the  like.    When- 

19 


ever  in  any  outline  the  same  kind  of 
curvilinear  motion  is  found  both  pre- 
ceding and  following  a  straight  stroke, 
and  tangent  thereto,  an  especial  im- 
pediment to  rapid  writing  exists.  It 
becomes  necessary  to  retard  the  even 
flow  of  the  pen — to  "slow  up"  and  to 
form  the  outline  with  care  and  restraint, 
lest  the  straight  stroke  become  curved 
under  the  combined  influence  of  the 
two  similar  tangent  curves.  Thus,  if 
the  word  apprentice  be  written  with  the 

outline    IX.    the    tendency,    in  rapid 

writing,  is  for  the  stroke  p  to  curve, 
and  the  outline  to  approximate  more 
or  less  closely  to  the  form  .TV;  and 

this  tendency  is  augmented  in  propor- 
tion to  the  rate  of  speed  at  which  the 
outline  is  written.  To  overcome  this 
tendency,  the  stroke  form  of  n  should 
be  retained  and  the  outline  should  be 
written  !^x^,.x_  On  the  other  hand,  if 

the  stroke  be  retained  in  writing  the 
20 


word  plunge  \^_  we  shall  encounter 

the  very  same  impediment  to  fluency, 
brought  about  in  the  last  preceding 
illustration  by  the  use  of  the  hook. 
Here,  the  use  of  the  hook  cures  the 
difficulty,  and  a  perfect  balance  of 
motion  is  secured  by  writing  the  out- 
line 


(b).  Checks.  An  angle  is  an  impedi- 
ment to  rapid  writing  inasmuch  as  it 
involves  a  check  of  the  hand,  which 
must  bring  itself  to  a  momentary  state 
of  rest  before  starting  in  a  new  direc- 
tion. The  use  of  a  secondary  method 
of  representing  a  consonant  frequently 
eliminates  the  angles  from,  or  reduces 
their  number  in,  an  outline.  A  com- 
parison of  the  outlines  _!^^y  and  ^Sn. 

for  pasty  shows  that  the  use  I   of  the  cir- 
cle eliminates  a  check  between  5  and  t. 

By  writing  the  word  rusty  ,,XL.  instead 
of  _x^)...,  two    checks   are    eliminated. 


By  writing  the  word  conic  ,  with 

the  hook  rather  than  the  stroke  form 
of  n  ,._<...^_..,  one  check  is  eliminated. 

The  use  of  the  halving  principle  in 
writing  the  word  optic  .t:\i_-  saves  a 
check  as  compared  with  '\.. x.. 

(c).  Obtuse  angles.  An  obtuse  angle 
impedes  rapid  writing  to  a  greater 
extent  than  does  an  acute  angle.  By 
the  use  of  a  stroke  rather  than  a  hook, 
the  angle  may  frequently  be  reduced. 
Thus  by  retaining  the  stroke  n  in  range 
../£^7....,  the  extremely  awkward  obtuse 
angle  found  in  ...S-f...  is  avoided,  and  the 
advantage  is  cheaply  bought  even  at 
the  price  of  adding  another  acute 
angle  to  the  outline.  But  to  retain  the 
stroke  n  in  writing  the  outline  for 
Danube  ....L^. would  be  not  only  to 

give  us  two  a.ngles  where  only  one  would 
result  from  the  use  of  the  hook  .1 

22 


but  one  of  these  two  is  an  obtuse,  and 
therefore  an  inconvenient,  angle. 

(d).  Reverse  motion.  Whenever  a 
change  of  curvilinear  motion  takes 
place  at  an  angle — that  is  to  say  when- 
ever involute  motion  preceding  an 
angle  changes  to  evolute  motion  follow- 
ing the  angle,  or  vice  versa — the  check 
is  a  relatively  awkward  one  as  com- 
pared with  curvilinear  motion  passing 
into  straight  motion  (or  vice  versa),  and 
especially  as  compared  with  the  same 
kind  of  curvilinear  motion  both  pre- 
ceding and  following  the  angle.  The 
outline  ...IT....  for  month  looks  briefer 
and  is  certainly  more  compact  in  ap- 
pearance than  _il_,  and  there  is  no 
difference  in  the  number  of  checks  or 
angles  in  the  two  forms,  there  being,  in 
fact,  one  in  each.  But  the  character  of 
the  check  in  _\...  (which  is  preceded  by 
evolute  and  followed  by  involute 
motion)  is  so  awkward  as  compared 

f — ~^_^ 

with    that   in  L   (involute  motion 

both  preceding  and  following  the  check) 
23 


that  there  can  be  no  hesitation  in  choos- 
ing the  latter  form.  The  same  consid- 
eration must  lead  us  to  prefer  ....  J/.  to 

..  L...  for  manage,  .t\^^^^^..  to  .!\^~^.. 
for  'permanent,  etc. 

(e).  Imperfect  hooks.  The  formation 
of  an  imperfect  hook  is  often  so  great 
an  impediment  to  facile  writing  as  to 
justify  the  use  of  a  stroke  to  avoid  it. 

In  ..1^, tonic  the  stroke  n  causes  a 

longer  outline  and  two  angles,  but  the 
outline  as  a  whole  is  more  convenient 
than  the  more  compact  but  awkward 
form  ..i~ x.  A  like  motive  of  choice 

leads  us  to  write  _£•<_  for  joiner  instead 
of  <. ,  and,  for  the  greater  reason, 

/A  A> 

.*~?....  instead  of  ..^L... x... 

(/).  Descending  forms.  Too  great  a 
descent  below  the  line  of  writing  with 
the  consequent  loss  of  time  in  regain- 
ing the  line  level  on  beginning  the 
subsequent  outline  is  another  impedi- 
24 


ment  to  speed  that  may  frequently  be 
avoided  by  the  secondary  representa- 
tion of  a  medial  consonant.  The 
reason  why  our  form  ..V.  for  substance 
is  undesirable  as  compa  j  red  with  .\p.. 
lies  not  only  in  the  obt  use  angle  J 
between  the  stroke  5  and  the  stroke  t. 

,J\P_  relieves  us  of  any  angle  at  all,  and 

O 

it  is  therefore  a  superior  outline.  But 
there  is  another  reason  for  its  superi- 
ority. The  outline  descends  to  the 
depth  of  only  one  stroke  below  the 

line  of  writing,  whereas  _\...  makes  a 
further  descent  to  the  dep  /  th  of  an- 
other stroke.  The  medial  °  use  of  the 
circle-s  very  frequently  saves  the  descent 
of  the  outline  below  the  line  of  writing 
with  a  consequent  gain  in  convenience 
thru  the  increast  lineality.  For  this 
reason  it  may  be  set  down  as  a  general 
rule  that  whenever  5  occurs  as  a  medial 
consonant  it  is  preferably  written  with 
the  circle. 
We  have  now  considered  the  leading 

25 


principles  that  determine  the  forma- 
tion of  the  initial,  medial,  and  final 
consonants  in  writing  phonographic 
outlines  for  words;  and  we  might  well 
be  content  to.«stop  at  this  point  were  it 
not  for  a  fact  inherent  in  the  nature  of 
words  themselves,  and  in  our  ways 
of  regarding  them — the  fact,  namely, 
that  there  is  an  inevitable  inclination 
in  our  minds  to  think  of  words  in  their 
relation  to  each  other — to  think  of  them 
as  being  either  primitive  or  derivative 
words.  This  inclination  has  its  root  in 
certain  fundamental  characteristics  in 
the  structure  of  our  language,  and  it  is 
so  much  a  part  of  our  ordinary  mode  of 
thought  as  to  call  for  the  recognition  of 
another  and  a  fourth  principle  of  out- 
line-formation— the  etymologic  prin- 
ciple of  derivation.  A  recognition  of 
this  principle  in  outline-formation  is 
favorable  to  legibility,  if  not  indeed  to 
speed,  because  of  the  satisfaction  the 
mind  feels  in  seeing  a  derived  word 
written  with  an  outline  that  is  in  har- 
monious relationship  with  the  outline 

26 


used  in  writing  the  word  from  which  it 
is  derived.  We  like,  for  instance,  to 
see  such  a  word  as  exultant  written  with 
the  form  -—f^-  rather  than  with  the 
perhaps  equally  facile  form  — (^..,  be- 
cause the  outline  of  the  derived  word 
contains  in  itself  as  its  foundation,  or 
base,  the  outline  that  represents  the 
primitive  word  from  which  it  is  derived. 
Other  examples  of  the  same  kind  are 

V^v 

seen  in  the  following  group:  fine  , 


„..  In  this  group  the  derivative 
words  are  all  written  so  as  to  retain  the 

form  of  the  primitive  word  _..,  altho,  if 
manual  convenience  were  the  only  con- 
sideration, the  highly  convenient  forms 

I  I    v  V 

,_5ssL.  „&*:,  and  _!±>S.  might  well  be 
used  for  finer,  finely,  and  finest.  We  are 
willing  even  to  sacrifice  a  slight  advan- 

27 


tage  in  mere  manual  convenience  in  or- 
der to  retain  an  outline  that  shows  the 
etymologic  relationship  between  the 
primitive  and  the  derivative  word;  for, 
as  intimated  before,  there  is  a  mental 
smoothness  and  ease  (and  therefore  a 
time-saving  quality)  in  the  etymologic 
way  of  thinking  that  will  compensate 
for  the  slightly  increast  manual  effort, 
and  that  distinctly  assists  the  reading 
process  when  the  notes  come  to  be 
transcribed.  But  this  sacrifice  must 
not  be  carried  too  far.  We  have  al- 
ready seen  in  a  foregoing  illustration 

7A                        /£•" 
how  the  outlines  ....?V...  joiner  and  ,„ 

joinery  involve  such  grave  graphic  diffi- 
culties as  to  make  it  necessary  to  sacri- 
fice the  motive  of  final  vowel  indication 
in  determining  the  outline  with  which 
they  shall  be  written,  and  for  the  greater 
reason  the  etymologic  motive  must  also 
be  sacrificed,  altho  these  outlines  are  in 
etymologic  agreement  with  the  primitive 

.. ......  join. 

28 


Moreover,  we  must  not,  while  recog- 
nizing the  value  of  the  etymologic 
motive,  allow  ourselves  to  go  too  far 
afield  in  search  of  etymologic  relation- 
ships. It  is.  of  course,  possible  to  make 
interminable  excursions  into  the  dim 
ages  of  the  past,  tracing  the  ancestry 
of  words;  but  this  is  the  special  province 
of  the  philologist  and  forms  no  part  of 
the  work  or  thought  of  the  phonogra- 
pher.  It  is  true  that  in  Phonography 
many  words  drawn  from  the  Latin  by 
a  uniform  process  of  adaptation  exhibit 
a  large  and  pleasing  measure  of  corre- 
sponding uniformity  in  their  phono- 
graphic outlines.  Thus,  the  verbs  tend 
..j-~,  attend  ..J-...,  extend  --±f-,  contend  -J-, 

subtend  _2s,..,  distend .,.[,...,  portend ,^>^.'., 

ir  J- 

superintend  -t^-^.,  from  the  Latin  verb 

tendere,  all  show,  as  written  in  Phonog- 
raphy, a  uniform  foundation,  or  base 
outline  .j_..x...  But  we  also  write  intend, 
derived  from  the  same  Latin  source, 
with  the  outline  _^^,...,  which  is  so  much 
more  rapidly  and  conveniently  formed 
29 


448270 


as  compared  with  the  more  etymologic 
representation  _-^j..  that  phonographers 
as  shorthand  writers  universally  give  it 
the  preference. 

It  is  not  necessary,  nor  is  it  advisable, 
that,  in  forming  outlines,  the  phonogra- 
pher  should  take  into  consideration  the 
relationship  of  English  words  to  other 
words  outside  the  limits  of  the  English 
language  itself  as  we  habitually  use  it. 
It  is,  however,  desirable  that  the  out- 
line of  a  derivative  word  be  written  so 
as  to  preserve  the  outline  of  any  other 
English  word  from  which  it  is  so  di- 
rectly formed  that  the  derivative  word 
contains  the  primitive  word  as  a  part 
of  it  without  any  change  in  Us  vowels  or 
in  its  accentuation. 

The  controlling  principles  of  outline 
formation  are,  then: 

i.  Vocalizability. — Every  normal  pho- 
nographic outline  must  be  vocalizable. 
It  must  be  so  constructed  that  howso- 
ever many  consonants  are  represented 
by  secondary  signs  the  outline  shall 
30 


«JN; 

AT 
LOS  ANGELES 

TTRRARY 


have  a  sufficiency  of  strokes  to  furnish 
place  for  every  vowel  in  the  word. 

2.  Suppression  of  idle  strokes. — A  pho- 
nographic outline  must  contain  the  few- 
est practicable  number  of  idle  stroke. 
Whenever  it  is  possible  to  give  a  con- 
sonant a  secondary  representation  with- 
out thereby  rendering  the  outline  un- 
vocalizable   it   should  be   done.     This 
principle  is  of  strict  application  so  far 
as  relates  to  the  initial  and  final  con- 
sonants.     Its    application    to    medial 
consonants  is  limited  by 

3.  Manual  convenience. — It  is  desir- 
able to  avoid  certain  mechanical  im- 
pediments   to    rapid    writing — impedi- 
ments that  grow  in  part  out  of   the 
structure  of  the  phonographic  system 
itself  and  in  part  out  of  the  physical 
laws    of   motion    and    the    anatomical 
structure  of  the  writer.    These  impedi- 
ments are  (a)  unbalanced  motion,  (b) 
checks,   (c)  obtuse  angles,   (d)   reverse 
motion,    (e)    imperfect   hooks,    (/)   de- 
scending forms. 

31 


4.  Etymologic  harmony. — It  is  desir- 
able that  the  outlines  of  derived  words 
shall  be  built  upon  the  outlines  of  the 
primitive  words  from  which  they  are 
respectively  derived.  The  application 
of  this  principle  must  not  run  counter 
to  i  or  2,  and  must,  in  general,  be  con- 
trolled by  3;  and  it  extends  in  any 
case  only  to  English  primitives  which 
appear  in  their  respective  derivatives 
without  change  of  vowels  or  accentu- 
ation. 


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